Concussions and Your Brain the Most Illustrious Jewel Ever Made

What is a concussion?

Concussion from the Latin word concutere “to shake violently” or concussus “action of striking together” is the most common type of traumatic brain injury. This injury is caused by excessive, rapid movement of the brain inside the skull. “This movement causes damage that changes how brain cells function, leading to symptoms that can be physical (headaches, dizziness), cognitive (problems remembering or concentrating), or emotional (feeling depressed).”-Thinkfirst.ca

A concussion can result from multiple ways some examples would be: a blow to the head or body in any number of sporting activities (hockey and boxing), falling from a jungle gym, being in a motor vehicle collision, or slipping/falling and hitting your head.

What is different about a concussion?

The brain is inside of the skull and even with modern technology like CT scanners and MRI’s it is difficult to see a concussion.

To give an illustration if you bang your arm we can visually see a bruise on the arm but with the brain that bruise is hard to see.

Your brain is everything about you that is why I decided to write a book about it. It is mission control and even acts as a filing cabinet. In a concussion many different things can go on, some files may be spilled all over the place and it takes time for organization of those files.

As we cannot physically see a bruise on the brain other cognitive or emotional impairments may come out. These symptoms of a concussion can be: headache, balance problems, difficulty with vision, sadness, feeling slowed down, nausea, drowsiness, or confusion to name a few. It is important to remember that this is not an ALL-INCLUSIVE list. For a more complete list please visit Thinkfirst.ca

Final power thoughts to consider:

Don’t make things worse. With an injured brain you need to take baby steps to getting back to play or regular activity again. Talk everything over with your doctor and he or she can come up with a safe plan with you for return to play or regular activities.  Thinkfirst.ca is also a fabulous source to read up on concussions and I send my patients to this website if they wish to learn more about concussions.

Here is the link:

http://thinkfirst.ca/programs/concussionqanda.aspx#Whatisaconcussion

It may be difficult to know how you will do if you have been diagnosed with a  concussion by a doctor. There are 7 billion human brains on the planet and each one is different. You are wonderfully and fabulously made! However the studies I have come across have lots of statistics available and about 80-90% will be back to play or regular activities in about 4-6 weeks, this also depends on the injury. The discussion with your doctor will give you a better idea.

Be mindful of the fact to communicate with everyone. This includes your parents, teachers, co-workers, boss and coaches.

Take care of yourself. Your Brain is you! Keep that Jewel running like a Lamborghini (my favourite car by the way).

Love My Life and Yours,

Peter Eppinga M.D.

 

 

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